Alexis Rufus visits LondonCryo for the infrared sauna and Whole Body Cryotherapy
About 4 months ago I was told I had fractured my spine and may need to have back surgery. The mild pain I have been experiencing for several years had turned into severe and sometimes crippling pain. Upon investigation it turned out I had a condition called Spondylolisthesis and Stenosis, which in Layman’s terms means my vertebrae had slipped forward and was causing a huge amount of referred nerve pain down my right hand side.
After much research and ultimately a decision on how I wanted to live my life, I opted for a procedure called Spinal Fusion. A few weeks before I was due to have my surgery, a friend of mine had suggested I try out Cryotherapy and Infrared sauna to help relieve some of the pain I had been experiencing. I had already tried a lot of other therapies and treatments which had helped albeit temporarily. When I read about Cryotherapy, I learned that you would be immersing yourself into a chamber that is -130 degrees C for several minutes and for anyone who knows me well knows my hatred of extreme cold, so I was rather apprehensive to say the least! I have done ice baths before, but nothing quite as cold as what I was about to experience in the Cryo Chamber! Well, nothing else was alleviating my back pain so I thought I would have to give it a try.
From the very moment I arrived at LondonCryo I was overwhelmed by the warmth of the place, by this I mean how welcoming the staff were which instantly put me at ease. I met Maria, who explained the process thoroughly and suggested that I try the Infrared Sauna first before the Whole Body Cryotherapy treatment. I understood that infrared saunas use infrared light to heat the body directly, meaning that waves penetrate into the body for a ‘deep heating action’. By having the sauna first it would increase my blood circulation which would prep me well for the Cryotherapy afterwards.
My favourite part of the sauna, (which is your own private room fully equipped with a sound system linked to your mobile phone, a shower and plenty of fresh drinking water), was all the different coloured infrared lights which referred to specific needs. Much to my delight there was a purple option (used for relaxing the nerves and lymphatic system, addressing inflammation and urinary illness). You can choose from any one of 12 colours. I did 15 minutes and then had a cold shower before heading back in for a further 15 minutes. This was perfect and left me feeling totally relaxed yet energised at the same. I was then ready for the Cryo Chamber. Maria lead me into the front room and I was given some endearing long socks to wear under some very comfy eskimo type slipper boots along with some fetching cotton type gloves. I was wearing a dry bikini underneath a robe. (The combo of bikini and eskimo boots did make me laugh.) The giant Cryo Chamber was elevated on a few steps with a large door for me to step inside and was being cooled down to -130 degrees C.
When ready I was asked to step up inside and remove my robe. Instantly the cold hit me, but unlike the ice bath where it was a sharp shock to the skin, this was unusually calming and invigorating. As the door closed I was told to keep my arms up and out the top of the chamber. I was instructed to turn every 30 seconds, all the time Maria was talking to me (about what I now cannot recall as I was concentrating so hard on not freaking out by the cold) but I remember at the time it was really helping keep me calm. Unlike the ice bath where my extremities bore the brunt of the extreme cold, my feet and toes were nicely protected and I felt no pain. The cold was getting more and more intense around my knees and it almost felt like a dull ache. The rest of my body felt fine and although the temperature was insanely cold, it was such a rejuvenating experience. Before I knew it, my 2 minutes were up.
I stepped out into my robe feeling super elated and invigorated. The pain in my knees had subsided and there was no numbness, just an inner tranquillity which was passing through me slowly. The knee pain, Maria explained, me was due to there being very little skin in that area, so the cold almost penetrates to the bone. She explained how doing this regularly you would experience more of the benefits which include pain relief, reduced inflammation, recovery from injury and mental recovery. The extreme cold temperatures basically constrict your blood vessels, meaning blood flow is restricted. Once you finish the treatment your vessels will then start to expand and blood goes to the areas in most need, hence beginning the healing process.
I made sure I drank plenty of water that night and fell asleep pretty quickly when I went to bed. The back pain felt reduced for around 24 hours and for that alone I was sold on Cryotherapy. It is nearly 4 weeks since my surgery as I write this and I have my post op check up in 2 weeks time. One of the questions I will be asking my surgeon is ‘can I add Cryotherapy to my recovery plan?’ If the answer is yes then I will definitely be using this on a regular basis, especially to help the inflammation I now have due to surgery.
I have always believed that pain is an essential part of our journey. Pain is usually something we fear but in order to accept this we must deal with it face on. In the words of Wim Hoff “You need to have fear; respect of what’s going to happen. If you don’t respect it you can’t deal with it.”